(The Hill) — Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner on Monday addressed claims he has a “hidden Nazi tattoo” on his chest based on a family video shared online.
“I am not a secret Nazi,” Platner, a Democrat, told “Pod Save America’s” Tommy Vietor, referencing since-deleted Reddit posts in which he described himself as a “communist” and called police officers “bastards.” “I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general.”
“I would say a lifelong opponent,” he added.
The Senate Republicans’ campaign arm on Tuesday accused Platner of donning a “Nazi tattoo.” The tattoo resembles a Totenkopf, which is German for “death’s head” and was a symbol adopted by Adolf Hitler’s SS troops in Nazi Germany, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s website.
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While a general skull and crossbones is not considered a hate symbol, the Totenkopf has been used by neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups and is considered a hate symbol.
The family video shows Platner shirtless, wearing “Marine Corp running shorts” and singing. A tattoo on his chest is visible. The Maine Democrat added that the video is from his brother’s 2007 wedding in Croatia, where he serenaded the couple with a lip sync version of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.”
“Now of course, that embarrassment, which was mostly just held internally in the family as we always watched that video at family events and laughed is now shared with the world,” Platner said. “I feel like I’m just going to give them a wedding gift for the rest of my life.”
In response to claims about the tattoo, Platner said he received the tattoo in honor of his time spent as a machine gun section leader in the Marines during his third deployment in Iraq. He said on Tuesday that he and other section leaders chose a “terrifying-looking skull and crossbones off the wall” as the tattoo.
“We were Marines, and skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard military thing. And we all moved on with our lives,” Platner continued.
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Platner in recent days came under fire for several social media posts, which he has since deleted and described as him “f—ing around on the internet.”
He told Vietor on Tuesday that the tattoo has never been an issue, adding “at no point” did anyone call him a Nazi, “until we got wind, in the opposition research, somebody was shopping the idea that I was a secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo.”
“If I was trying to hide it, I’ve not been doing a very good job for the past 18 years,” Platner said.
Platner is part of a crowded Democratic field after Maine Gov. Janet Mills became the highest-profile candidate when she entered the race last week. All are looking to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who aims to secure a sixth term.
